Thread: The intimidation of Newbie Honing

You can get by using a finishing stone for touch ups for a long time. It's your choice really whether it's a barber hone, chinese, shapton etc. Barber hone grits can vary though, so go with a tried & tested brand if that's what you decide.
A Norton 4/8 is useful, but if you receive a razor shave ready, then keep it going with a finisher it probably won't get much use. You could consider sending them out when the touch up's are no longer effective.
Coticule's are not the same as Norton's. They are a natural, & therefore it's hard to give them a grit rating. The garnets that do the sharpening are kind've football (soccer ball) shaped, so they give a less agressive scratch pattern. BBW are far cheaper, & can be hugely effective. The garnet content is both slightly lower & slightly larger. The increased size has been suggested to actually give an even shallower scratch pattern, as they give a less pronounced cut. These two naturals are fantastic to use & it's unwise to try to categorise them into grit's.
12k's need to be lapped & can be done on glass with wet & dry paper.